International Studies Professor Named Teacher of the Year

Hawaiʻi Pacific University announced Andrea Malji, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of International Studies, the University’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Malji joined HPU in 2017 and teaches courses in Political Science, International Studies, and the MA program in Diplomacy and Military Studies.     

Annually, HPU recognizes one full-time faculty member for excellence in teaching. The University invites graduating students to nominate their professors for the Teacher of the Year award.

Among the many student nominations of Malji as an outstanding professor, one student describes her impact as an educator and mentor of students as follows: “Dr. Malji is an amazing professor who goes above and beyond to help her students excel. Her ability to inspire students to step out of their academic comfort zone and explore new ideas is unmatched at HPU.”

Malji’s research focuses on nationalism, religion, and political violence with a regional specialization in South Asia. Her research and teaching have helped secure external funding from the NEH and International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. Her work has been featured in numerous outlets, including forthcoming pieces in Cambridge University Press Elements, Terrorism and Political Violence, Education about Asia, PS Political Science & Politics, and the Journal of Religion and Violence. Her research on Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka and Myanmar was recently published in 9dashline (How Buddhist nationalism is shaping Sri Lanka’s domestic and foreign policy — 9DASHLINE) and the Berkley Center for Religion at Georgetown University (A Coup Can’t Destroy an Ideology: The Future of Buddhist Nationalism in Myanmar (georgetown.edu)).  

In addition to her research and teaching, Malji is the Model UN co-advisor for HPU and the Fulbright and Critical Language Studies advisor for the University. She is currently serving as faculty senator for the College of Liberal Arts.